Fuse setter



April' 3, 192s. 1,664,676

' R. -L. GOETZENBERGER FUSESETTER Filed March 13. 1925 3 Shegts-Shet 1 31a/vanto@ Ene'tzenhergar Ap 3, 192s.

R. L. GOETZENBERGER FUSE SETTER 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y Filed March 13 Patented Apr.' 3, 1928.

UNITED s'luJrEsv 1,664,676 PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH LGOETZENBERGEB, QE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FUSE SETTER.

Application mea umn 1s, 1925. 'serial No. 15,389.-

(GBAHTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS F THE ACT 0F MARCH 8, 1883, 22 STAT, L., 625.)

The invention. described herein may beV used by the Goverment, or any of its oilicers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon, in accordance with the act of March 3, 1883.

The subject of this invention is a fuse setter.

Inl antiaircraft lgunnery, the target moves' at such a rapid rate that the computation of deiiection corrections to allow for time of iiight of a projectile and the dead time, which-includes the range data transmission,

n 1.5 fuse setting and loading, is susceptible of 'greater inaccuracy as the total lost time in creases. The usualartillery practice in setting fuses is to mount the fuse setter on the caisson, adjust it to the announced setting, insert and manually rotate the projectile.

To,reduce the interval of dead time, it is proposed to mount the ,fuse setter on the cradle of the gun and permit setting of the fuse after the projectile has been placed in the loading tray..l Since these projectiles are of great weight they cannot readily be turned to engage the fuse setter once they are on the tray. Therefore, the fuse setter must be designed so that it is capable of engaging and setting the fuse no matter what may be the location of the stop pins on the body and time .train ring of the fuse' with respect to the angularl position of the projectile on the tray. It may be presumed that all fuses will have been set at safety prior to placing the projectile on the tray, al-

though this -is Vnot essential so far as the opf n disposed within the track throng .eration of the lfuse setter is concerned.

To these and other ends, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements, described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part ofthis specification.

Several practical embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying t drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in sidel elevation` of t-he breech end of a gun on which is mounted a `se setter constructed in accordance with the invention; E Y f Fig. 2 `is a detail view in side elevation of the fuse setter Fig. 3 is a front view thereof;

v Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the fuse setter;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; l

Fig. 6 is a similar view on the line 6,-6 of Fig. 2; j

Fig. 7 is a sectional view 'on the line.7+7

of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of supporting means;

Fig. 9 is a sctionallview on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and j I Fig. 10 .is a sectional view on the line 10-10 ofFig. 8.

Referring to the drawings by numerals ,of reference:

The apparatus for setting fuses is mounted on a gun cradle 2 adjacent the breech block opening 3 of the gun 4. The mechanism of the fuse setter is inclosed in ahousing 5 formed with an arm 6, the extremity of which iits over a guide rod 7 carried in lugs 2 of the cradle. The fuse setter isY supported by meansJ ofV a pair of rollers -8 mounted on the arm 6 and resting on a tubular trackway 9 carried by brackets 1,0.securedto the cradle, the front bracket formed with an extension-11 disposed in the path/of the'fuse setter and carrying a pin or a buiier 12 for limiting forward movement of the setter. For the purpose of preventing the setter from jumping its track there" is provided a roller 13 engaging the under side of the track and carried` by a Spring actuated support 14 mounted in an enlargement 14 on the arm 6. t

.A hook 15 (Fig. 7) fast to the aijnf and a slot 15 receives one end of a sprin 16 which is secured to the rear head of t e track and serves to draw` the setter when released to` the rear until.y arrested by an adjustable stop 17 where it will be in position on the nose of -t-he projectile which hasbeen placed in the loading tray 18 mounted on the cradle 2 for -oscillatory movement to position the pro- 'adapted to register for reading .against a stationary index bar 23 on the dial cover 24.

COVCI'.

The range and corrector wheels 20 and 22 are internallyiigcared whereby they may drive their respective rings 25 and 26 by means of pinions 27 and 28 mounted on a common shaft lin a spider 29, on the hub 29 of which, is fastened a hand wheel 30. The outer or range ring 25 is provided with a stop 3l positioned in the path of the pin on` the fuse body when the setter is in the on position. |The inner or corrector ring 26 is provided with a slot 32 for receiving the pin on the rotatable time train ring of the fuse. Changing the position of the corrector'reading alters the position of this slot thus in-, creasingor decreasing the time of burst and altering the height without changing4 the range reading. Obviously, if all corrections are included in the announced fuse range the corrector ring is not vused and "will be set at zero.

Assuming the proper settings to have been made and the setter moved upon the' nose of the projectile, the hand wheel 30- is rotated in a clockwise direetion,looking to the rear, whence the spider 29 through the pinions 27 and 28 imparts an equi-angular movementl to `the range and corrector rings 25 and 26.

The corrector ring by reason of its engage ment with the -pin on the time train ring of the fuse eects rotation of that member until the stop 31 on the range ring is brought up against the'pin on the fuse body. This gives the time of burning required by the setting as read on therange and corrector in- .dexes u U 'A spiral spring 33 may be conveniently provided for the purpose l of eliminating.

backlash and lost motion.'

Mechanism for latching the iuse setter inthe off position consists of a bolt or latch 34 (F ig. 6) mounted on the arm and normallyl urged by its spring 35 into engage'- ment with a catch 36 secured to aplug 37 which closes the front end of the tubular track. The bolt headA carries a projecting 'pin-38 whereby it is withdrawn -through'a pivotally vmounted 4forked trigger 39. The trigger`lshaft40 maybe locked. by a lever 41 or throughthe-medium of a'crank 42 operable through aever 43 which is connected to a ratchet wheel 44 loosely mounted on the hub of thehousing l5. .The hand wheel 30 carries a pawl 45 which during-counterclockwise rotation of the hand Wheel drives the ratchet wheel 44to.elevate the lever 43y and retract the bolt. In. moving the fuse' setter to the o' position, the bolt will automativforced on the nose f the projectile.

cally reengage the catch 36 when the a paratus is brought up against the stop of uf'- fer 12. l

In order to prevent damage to the fuse setter, means are provided for interlockin it with the tray 18 so that it Will b impossible to move the tray from the fuse setting to the vloading position until the fuse setter has been moved clear. This interlocking is accomplished by. providing pins 46 on the lower guide rod 7 at either side o; the arm 6 so that the rod 7 will be moved correspondingly with the fusey setter. Accordingly, when I the fuse setter is moved to the"on position, the rear end of the rod 7 may enter an aperture inthe arm of the tray as shown, or be disposed inthe path of rotation of the tray thus preventing throwing of the tray while the fuse set-teris on the nose of the projectile. On retracting the -fuse setter to the off position the rod 7 will be carried along and is' of suiiicient length so that it will not clear the tray untilthe lsetter is `in the latched position.

As an alternate method of supporting the fusesetter so as to move in elevation with the gun, there is shown in Figures 8, .9. and 10, abent arm 47 keyed on one of the trun. nions and formed with a socket 48 in which is secured a hollow rod 492 The fuse setter sol is formed with asleeve 50'slidable on the same purpose. A. simple latch mechanism 54 is mounted on the under side of the sleeve for an obvious purpose.

Itis apparent that the spring 16 or 52may equally well be -made to retract the fuse it on to ,the on position, in which event it would be latched 1n reverse order.

In operation, the fuse setter having been given the announced setting by displacing the range and corector'rings which engage setter to the off position instead of urging the two pins of thefuse, it is unlatched yand Thehand wheel which drives both rings simultaneously is turned 'until its further movement is arrested by contact of thestop'31 with. the pinin the fuse-body. The fuse has then been set to the same amount. as the original vdisplacement of the rings.r yWhen these operations--have been completed the` fuse setter isfgorcedback to' its oii posi-- tion thereby permi tingf'the tray to be` ythrownI in loading th projectile into the gun. j

nee-1,676 y While `in the foregoing there has 'been illustrated and described such combination and arrangementfof elements, as constitute I mechanism carried by the housing for-holding it in place on the track, said mechanism o erable m unlatching through reverse rotation of said lastnamed means, and a guide(l rod movable with the housing and retained by the cradle for preventin oscillation of the loading tray when the use setter is in the on position. l

2. In combination with a gun including a pivoted loading tray, a track mounted on the cradle thereof, a fuse setter housing slidable on the track, a spring for assisting the movement of the housing in one direction, means for latching the housing, a range ring and corrector rlng within the housing, means for setting said rings independently, means for t rotating themsimultaneously, and means for interlocking the fuse setter and tray when the fuse setter is adjacent the tray.

3. In combination with a gun, a track mounted on the cradle thereof, a fuse setter housing slidable' on the track, a spring for assisting theiovement of the housing in one dlrection, means for latchingithe housing, a range ring and corrector ring within the housing, means for setting said rings independently, and means for rotating them simultaneously. v

4. In comblnation witha gunl including a pivoted loading tray, va track mounted on -I the cradle thereof, a fuse setter housing slidable on the track, a rangex-ing and corrector ring within the housing, means for setting said rings independently, means for rotating them simultaneously and means for interlocking the fuse setter andtray when the "fuse setter is adjacent the tray. u

5. In combination withk a gun,y a track mounted on the cradle thereof, a fuse setter housing slidable on the track, a range ring and corrector ring within the housing, means for' setting said rings independently, and rmeans for rotating them simultaneously.

6. In combinatlon with a gun, a loading tray pivoted on the cradle, a fuse setter slidably mounted for elevational movement with the cradle and including individually adjust- .able fuse setting elements, means for simultaneously rotating said elements, and means for interlocking t e .fuse setter and the tray.

7. The comblnation with a gun of a fuse setter slidably mounted for elevational movement with the cradle'and including individually adjustable fuse setting elements, and means for simultaneously rotating said elements.

A8. A fuse setter embodying a ai of adjusting members, means for in ependently rotating said members, means for simultaneously rotating them in the same direction and gearmeans of the planetary type available 1n common to both of said means.

9. A fuse setter embodying a pair of ad- ,Y

justing members, means for'independently rotating-saidemembers, means for simultaneously rotating them and gear means of the` planetary-type available in common to both of said means.

10. A fuse setter embodying. a pair of aded on the gun and movable towards the tray and means for interlocking thepfuse setter and tray when the setter is inoperative relation with respect to the tray. l

RALPH L. GOETZENBERGER. 

